MUSLIN 379 



was a few years since, its early career will always be remembered as one of the most 

 interesting and instructive episodes in the chemical history of colouring-matters. 



MURIATES were, till the great chemical era of Sir H. Davy's researches upon 

 chlorine, considered to be compounds of an undecompounded acid, the muriatic, with 

 the different bases ; but he proved them to be in reality compounds of chlorine with 

 the metals. They are all, however, still known in commerce by their former appella- 

 tion. The only muriates much used in the manufactures are muriate of ammonia, or 

 SAL-AMMONIAC ; and muriate of tin, for which see CALICO-PRINTING and TIN. 



MURIATIC ACID. See HYDROCHLORIC ACID. 



MUSACEJE. The Plantain family. See BANANA. 



MUSCADEIi WINE. A rich wine of Languedoc. See WINE. 



IVIUSCOVADA. The unrefined brown sugar of commerce. See STJGAR. 



MUSCOVITE GLASS. Mica is sometimes so called. See MICA. 



MUSK (Muse, Fr. ; Moschits, Ger.) is a peculiar aromatic substance found in a 

 sac between the navel and the parts of generation of a small male quadruped of the 

 deer kind, called by Linnaeus Moschus moschiferus, which inhabits Tonquin and Thibet. 

 The colour of musk is blackish-brown ; it is lumpy or granular, somewhat like dried 

 blood, with which substance, indeed, it is often adulterated. The intensity of its smell 

 is almost the only criterion of its genuineness. When thoroughly dried it becomes 

 nearly scentless ; but it recovers its odour when slightly moistened with water of am- 

 monia. The Tonquin musk is most esteemed. It comes to us in small bags covered 

 with a reddish-brown hair ; the bag of the Thibet musk is covered with a silver-grey 

 hair. 



The musk deer, from the male of which animal species the bag containing this 

 valuable drug is obtained, is a native of the mountainous Kirgesian and Langorian 

 steppes of the Altai, on the river Irtish, extending eastwards as far as the river Yenesei 

 and Lake Baikal ; and generally of the mountains of Eastern Asia, between 30 and 

 60 of N. lat. There are three kinds of musk known in the London market, which 

 is in truth the great centre of the musk trade. The Cabardieu, or Russian musk, 

 which is rarely, if ever, adulterated; from its poor fragrance, however, it does not 

 fetch more than 8s. an ounce in the pod. The Assam musk is next in quality ; it is 

 very strong, but has a rank smell ; the pods are very large and irregular in shape, 

 their average value is about 20s. an ounce. The Tonquin or Chinese musk yields the 

 kind mostly prized by the perfumer ; it is more adulterated than either of the former 

 named, but nevertheless realises at public auction an average of 305. an ounce in the 

 pod. 



MUSIiIN is a fine cotton fabric, which is worn either white, dyed, or printed. 



To render it and other fabrics non-inflammable. This very important inquiry was 

 committed by Professor Graham, at the desire of Her Majesty, to the care of Dr. 

 Oppenheim and Mr. Frederick Versmann, from whose report the following important 

 conclusions have been abstracted. After naming many salts found to be useless or 

 nearly so, they proceed : ' With regard to sulphate of ammonia, the cheapest salt of 

 ammonia, a solution containing 7 per cent, of the crystals, or 6'2 per cent, of anhy- 

 drous salt, is a perfect anti-flammable. In 1839, the Bavarian Embassy at Paris caused 

 M. Chevalier to make experiments before them with a mixture of borax and sulphate 

 of ammonia, as recommended by Chevalier, in preference to the sulphate alone. He 

 thought the sulphate would lose part of its ammonia, and thereby give rise to the 

 action of sulphuric acid upon the fabric. The authors say that they now have kept 

 for six months whole pieces of muslin prepared in various ways with this salt, some 

 having been even ironed ; but cannot find that the texture was in the least degree 

 weakened. Chevalier's mixture, on the contrary, became injurious to the fabric, not 

 only at temperatures above 212, but even at summer heat; and this can easily bo 

 explained, because he did not actually apply sulphate of ammonia and borax, but 

 biborate of ammonia and sulphate of soda.' 



Another drawback of Chevalier's mixture is the roughness which it gives to the 

 fabric, and which could only be overcome by calendering the pieces, while sulphate 

 of ammonia by itself has not this effect. The use of this salt must therefore be strongly 

 recommended. Of all the salts experimented upon, only four appear to be applicable 

 for light fabrics. These salts are 1. Phosphate of ammonia. 2. The mixture 

 of phosphate of ammonia and chloride of ammonium. 3. Sulphate of ammonia. 

 4. Tungstate of soda. 



The sulphate of ammonia is by far the cheapest and the most efficacious salt, and 

 it was therefore tried on a large scale. Whole pieces of muslin (eight to sixteen yards 

 long) were finished, and then dipped into a solution containing 10 per cent, of the 

 salt, and dried in the hydro-extractor. This was done with printed muslins, as well 



with white ones, and none of the colour gave way, with the sole exception of 



ider purple, which became pale. But even this change might be avoided, if care 



